Skee-ball apparatus



Oct. 13, 1931. 1.. M. STERNBERGH SKEE BALL APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1929 lllllllllllllllllllllllll I Patented Oct. 13, 1931 PATENT OFFICE LAYMAN M. STERNBERGH, OF OCEAN GROVE, NEW JERSEY SKEE-IBALL APPARATUS Application filed. May 31, 1929.

10 the efi'ect of causing the ball to pump to the targets or rings. .The apparatus includes means whereby as the ball passes through the bottom of the ring or target acounting or tally mechanism will be actuated so that the score will be made known. From this brief description of the ame, it will be understood at once that the ba ls hit the target or rings with considerable force, and in order to prevent rapid splitting of the balls, bufiers are 20 provided on the edges of the rings to cushion the impact of the ball thereagainst. The rings are formed of metal and the buffers are now generally formed of a composition of fiber and rubber and are riveted to the metal rings so as to extend over the upperedges of the same and form a pad or bufier surface on both the inner and the outer circumference of the ring. The buffer deteriorates under the continued impact of the balls and must be frequently renewed, the renewal requiring considerable labor and placing the alley out of commission for some time under present conditions. It is the object of the present invention to provide a buffer which 5 may be very quickly and easily applied to a ring and which will be firmly held thereon while it is in usable condition but may be easily removed when renewal is necessary so that the substitution of a new bufier for a 0 split or worn buffer will occupy only a few minutes time and may be performed byunskilled labor without any appreciable loss of the use of the alley. This object is attained in such a construction as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and theinvention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim. 0 In the drawings or groove 5.

Serial No. 367,452.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a target or ring having my improved buffer applied thereto,

Figs. 2, 3 and 4.- are enlarged sections through a wall of the ring and through the bufier showing diii'erent embodiments of the invention, and

Fig. 5 is a diametrical section of a target ring having the improved buffer applied thereto and showing the bufi'er constructed with an extension or apron depending through the bot-tom of the ring.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a target ring having a buffer 2 applied thereto, the buii'er consisting of a ring molded from rubber and formed to be slid down over the upper edge of the target ring and to be frictionally retained thereon and to engage a projection whereby its accidental removal will be prevented. In Fig. 1, the target ring is shown as provided without any particular form of support and it may be noted that in the actual apparatus the larger rings, which count the smallest scores, are generally rigidly supported but are sometimes mounted upon pins upon which they have a limited sliding movement while the smaller target rings, which count the highest scores, are mounted upon spiral springs, indicated at'3 in Figs. 2 to 5, so that they may yield downwardly somewhat under the impact of the ball.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 52, the target ring 1 is formed at its upper edge upon its outer circumference with a lip or lug which extends around the ring and is adapted to seat within an annular groove or recess 5 formed in the buffer ring 2, the ring being formed with a channel or opening, indicated at 6, which leads from the lower edge of the ring into the recess or groove, clearly shown in Fig. 2. When the ring is to be fitted in place, it is merely slipped down over the target ring so that the target ring will pass into and through the channel 6 and the lug or hp 4 will engage in the recess It will thus be seen that upward movement of the buffer ring will be positively prevented by the engagement of the lip with the floor of the groove or recess butif it should be necessary to renew the buffer ring the worn ring may be easily removed by spreading its parts at the opposite sides of the central channel and then simply lifting the buffer from the target. It may be noted that the outer portion of the bufi'er is extended downwardly and is tapered, as shown at 7, whereby it is adapted to extend over the epperturn or coil of the supporting spring and protect the brackets or cleats which secure the target to the spring. The buffer has a general elliptical form in cross section so that its greatest thickness is about midway between its edges where the greatest wear occurs and the inner member of the buffer terminates above the lower edge of the target ring so that it offers minimum obstructionto the passage of the ball through the ring while at the same time effectually serving as a cushion to counteract splitting of the ball or possible bending of the ring which would occur if the ball impinged directly upon the metal ring.

In Fig. 3, the buffer ring has the same general form as that shown in Fig. 2, but the recess or groove 8 is of greater vertical dimension than the groove 5 shown in Fig. 2 while the upper edge of the target ring 9 is provided with resilient cleats or tongues 10 Ring around and retaining a wire 11 which encircles the target. The action of this form of the device is the same in all respects as the structure shown in Fig. 2 but it may sometimes be preferred to the structure shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 4, the buffer ring 12 has the same general cross sectional outline as in the previously described figures, while the recess or groove 13 in the upper portion of the ring is elongated vertically to a greater extent than the recess shown in Fig. 2. The target ring 14 in this form of the invention has its upper edge or marginal portion bent outwardly and then downwardly to provide a tubular flan e 15 in which may be placed a filler 16 of her and the lower edge of this tubular projection is disposed somewhat obliquely so that it will have a dovetailed en- ..gcment with they correspondingly shaped fifwer wail of the recess 13. The target ring in this form is oi'fset above the spring sup port, as shown at 116, and the outer section of the bufier ring is given an inward turn or curve rather than an outward curve, as shown in the first described forms, while the inner surface of said outer member of the buffer ring is arched, as shown at 17, to have some clearance from the target ring. This formation imparts some slight resiliency to the molded buffer and permits it to be more easily spread to be released from the projection on the target ring.

InFig. 5, the target ring18 is shown as having a rejection 19 of the same formation as that s own in Fig. 4 but has a straight wall instead of havingthe oflset formation shown l at 116 in Fig. 4. The outer member 20 of the bufi'er ring in this figure has the same form as that shown in F ig. 4, but the inner wall or member is extended downwardly and tapered inwardly from the wall of the target ring so as to provide an apron 21 of conoidal form having an open bottom through which the balls may pass and escape. This conical apron cushions the impact of the ball against the interior of the ring and also guides the ball so that contact of the same with the supporting spring is" avoided, it being noted that the conoidal form of the apron brings it into close engagement with the ball so that the descent of the ball will be retarded and it will not impinge upon elements below the track with damaging force. Ordinarily, the extended form of buffer providing an apron will not be employed onthe larger rings and will be provided only on the smaller target rings as the passage through the larger target rings is large enough to permit the balls to drop through the same without having any violent contact with the wall of the target ring below the buffer.

In all terms of the invention, the butter is applied to the target by being merely pushed down over the upper edge of the target and it will be firmly held thereon by its frictional engagement with the wall of the target and also by its en agement with the projection on the target en the ring has become so worn that it is no longer effective for its allotted purpose, it may be easily removed by merely spreading the outer section or memher of the butter away from the target and then applying upward pressure thereto. Theremoval of a worn ring and the application of a new ring may be accom lished within'a very short period of time {Hit the removal of rivets is not necessary as no rivets are necessary to retain the buffer in place upon the target. The alloy will be out of commission for a very few minutes so that the use of the alley is practically continuous;

It' will, of course, be understood that the ball frequently alights on the edge of the ring and the buffer must not obstruct the entrance to the target. For this reason, the elliptical cross section of the buffer has been adopted and found highly satisfactory. If a ball lands on the narrow edge of the buffer, it will not obtain a seat thereon nor will it strike such a large body of rubber as will cause it to bound oil into space but it will be only momentarily retarded and it will continue on its 1 general course, the body of rubber upon which it lands being sufiicient to cushion. the impact but not enough to turn the ball back or interfere in any way'with its entrance into the target.

As indicated in Fig. 5, the scoring value of a: ring may be indicated by channels in the inner surface of the buffer having the outlines of the proper numerals. These channels may be formed in various places around the bufier so that, when one spot is worn, the buffer may be shifted to bring another spot to the display and wearing point.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

The combination with a skee-ball target, of a bufier ring of elastic material engaged over the upper edge of the target and having its inner portion extended downwardly forming an apron of conoidal form having an open bottom within the target, the target having a projection near its upper end and the buffer ring being formed internally with a recess conforming to said projection whereby to snugly enclose the same and positively abut the under side thereof.

In testimony whereof I alffix my signature.

LAYMAN M. STERNBERGH. [L. S.] 

